Directors/Writers
Having completed their best and last short film, “Hallo Panda” (Best Short Film at International Sweet Onion Film Festival, Film-Maker Festival and International South Africa Film Festival), for The Film Council and Film4 through their Cinema Extreme scheme, Chris and Ben Blaine are on their way towards feature film-making, helped by development funding from ScreenEast for ‘The Debt’ and by the Guiding Lights mentoring programme and mentor Gillies MacKinnon.
Featured in Screen International’s “Stars of Tomorrow”, they are self-taught filmmakers who have learnt their craft by mistakes, flukes and a lot of hard work. Previous work includes “Death Of The Revolution” (nominated Best British Short and European Prix UIP at Edinburgh IFF) and the BAFTA shortlisted films “Russell Square”, “Burnt Bernard” and “Free Speech” (also nominated for BBC New Film-Makers Award and Best Film at Rushes FF).
They also work in the music world with animated videos for Steel Pulse (nominated for Best Video at Rushes FF) and Art Brut (voted second ‘Best Cartoon Video Of All Time’ by MTV2), the cult documentary “Rocklands” and videos, commercials and epks for the likes of Usher, Razorlight, Just Jack, Jack Penate and Sway – and in the commercial world with films for St Pancras International, Somerset House, O2, Eurostar, Innocent and Marks & Spencer.
They are passionate in their support of British film culture, mentoring directors including the RTS Student Award nominated Alex Turner, and showcasing other film-makers’ work through Shooting People, both at the BFI and around the country in their Mobile Cinema.
FILM
THE DEBT a taught anarchic thriller about a modern-day Robin Hood taking on the banks of Britain on the streets of London, all told from the perspective of the girl who falls for him.
POLICE & THIEVES Taught contemporary thriller. Back from Iraq, a soldier takes the mantle of Robin Hood to fight the fat-cat banks of Britain in a campaign of terror and love.
HALLO PANDA Unromantic Comedy about a man and a talking bear. Expanding upon the short film made through Film4 and the UK Film Council’s Cinema Extreme scheme.
HELICOPTER LAND Existential thriller. Following a party he was too drunk to remember, Stuart is accused of rape and his world falls apart – until someone offers a dark solution. Initially developed through Screen East's Featurelab scheme.
BIG YELLOW Dark psychological thriller. When Jason dies, his family is torn apart as they all fall in love with the man who killed him.
MOUCHAK & JUNCE Buddy Cop Comedy. Mouchak has to work with Junce to solve a preposterious crime involving the Royal Mint, but Junce works alone.
SELECT FILMOGRAPHY
(Unless otherwise stated all films are written, directed, and edited by Ben and Chris Blaine)
SHORT FILMS
HALLO PANDA 2006, 30mins, prod: Quinny Sacks & Barrington Paul Robinson. Screened at Encounters Film Festival 2006. Made with the support of Film4 and the UK Film Council through Cinema Extreme. tx C4 2007.
DEATH OF THE REVOLUTION 2005. A film about a Marxist revolution in a junior school. Screened at Edinburgh, London, Cork, Reykjavik and Auston Film Festivals in 2006, and nominated for the Kodak Short Film Prize and the Prix Europe.
FREE SPEECH 2004. Starring Danny Dyer and Jacqueline Oceane, whose performance won Best Actress at the Shooting People Shoot Out Awards 2005. Nominated for Best Film, Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival 2004, shortlisted BAFTA Best Short Film 2005, shortlisted Best Short Film TCM Classic Shorts 2004, ‘Best Of The Fest’ KinoFilm Festival Manchester 2005, ‘Best of UK Shorts’ Leeds International Film Festival 2004. Many other UK and international screenings. Soon to be on atomfilms.com. Sales Agent: Dazzle Films. See the film at www.atomfilms.com
POUR UN TEMPS 2004. Top six in Paris 48hr Filmmaking Challenge, runner-up Best Short Film Wood Green Film Festival 2005, screened at Halloween Film Festival (ICA).
MAKING JUICE: THE MAKING OF JUICE 2002. Top ten in first ever London 48hr Guerrilla Filmmaking Challenge.
CITY SPIRIT 2002 – animation, 4mins, wr/dir: Alexandra Turner, prod/ed: Blaine Bros. Nominated for the RTS Student Awards, screened at Edinburgh Film Festival 2003.
OLD MAN DIES 2002. Supported by the British Council, screened at California Independent, Fargo International and Mikrokino Film Festivals.
BURNT BERNARD 2001. Shortlisted BAFTA Best Short Film 2001, screened Sutton, Kent, Wood Green, Northampton Film Festivals and Papua New Guinea British Films Tour.
RUSSELL SQUARE 2000. Shortlisted BAFTA Best Short Film 2000, Commendation - York Film Festival, screened at Dresden, Kino, Play!, Wood Green Film Festivals and Papua New Guinea British Films Tour.
IF LOOKS COULD KILL 1999. Screened theatrically in front of “Velvet Goldmine”, selected by iFilm.com, screened at Britspotting Festival, Berlin.
CROWD SCENE FOR EXISTENTIALISTS 1998. Screened at Edinburgh International, Portobello, Grenoble Open Air Film Festivals, The Big Chill and OMSK.
DOCUMENTARIES
ROCKLANDS: LIVE IN NEW CROSS 2004 – 24mins, Prod: Zee Ahmad, ed: Martin O’Leary. Featuring early performances from Bloc Party, Special Needs, Art Brut, My Red Cell, Ludes, Twisted Charm and many others. Screened at Camden Crawl, Metro Bar Oxford Street, Curzon Soho, Greenwich and Halloween Film Festivals.
SPECIAL NEEDS: TEARS IN THE LAUNDRETTE 2004. Prod: Zee Ahmad. The band play ‘Funfairs & Heartbreaks’, their own night, alongside DJ John Kennedy (Xfm) and Razorlight at the Hammersmith Working Man’s Club. Bonus extra on their first single ‘Sylvia’.
MUSIC VIDEOS
Since 2004, the Blaines have directed a range of videos, including videos for Ian Wills and The Willing (It’s Easy for Working Class Records, currently in post-production), Maxwell D (I Don’t Need U for DNT Entertainments), Special Needs (Blue Skies for Mercury Records and Francesca for Poptones – to be on Poptones forthcoming DVD), Twisted Charm (London Scene, for 1234 Records), Art Brut (Formed A Band animation for Rough Trade Records. MTV2's ‘video of the week’, top ten NME Chart, screened on The Amp and NME.com. Second Best Cartoon Video MTV's 'Top Fives Weekend' 2004. Released on their latest single ‘Good Weekend’)